Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

As Deputy Doyle rightly said, the number of applications was almost 54,000 and the number of beef breed calves born in the scheme last year was 974,000. The funding paid out under the 2008 scheme during the calendar year 2008 was €33 million and €44 million is provided in the 2009 Estimate to pay the remainder of the 2008 scheme. Many of the applications would come in only at the end of the year and there would be that carry-over into 2009 but the payment is in respect of the 2008 scheme.

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